Effectiveness of nilvadipine in two cases of chronic schizophrenia

Nilvadipine is a calcium channel inhibitor used commonly for the treatment of cerebrovascular insufficiency. We observed two patients with schizophrenia whose psychiatric symptoms and tardive dyskinesia improved after the addition of nilvadipine to their antipsychotic drug regimen. The total score of the brief psychiatric rating scale (BPRS) in case 1 fell from 56 to 42 after 8 weeks on nilvadipine; while that of case 2 fell from 44 to 32. The total score of the abnormal involuntary movement scale (AIMS) in case 2 decreased from 12 to 7. No adverse effects occurred during treatment. Nilvadipine may thus offer a new approach to the adjunctive treatment of schizophrenia.